Cessna T-210N accident near Jay Em, Wyoming, April 9, 1986
On April 9, 1986 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna T-210N, registered N6535N, was destroyed in an accident near Jay Em, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 1986 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jay Em, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T-210N · all T-210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6535N · no longer on the register · serial 63901
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT TOOK OFF ON A VFR FLT INTO AN AREA OF FORECAST ADVERSE WX. RADAR TRACK OF THE ACFT AT 9,700 FEET MSL WAS LOST IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE AT 0930 MST, 4/9/86. THE ACFT WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED AT 1155 MST, 4/10/86 AND WAS SCATTERED OVER AN AREA 2,000 FEET LONG. THE CABIN AND COCKPIT WERE DESTROYED BY A POST IMPACT FIRE. THE PLT AND TWO PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,204 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 29, 1985; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: WRL Worland WY at 3:21 pm
- Destination: AIA Alliance NE
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 30 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:30 pm, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.